Prowl Great Cain
'Prowl Great Cain '''is the eighth song on the album All Eternals Deck''. Lyrics Gather jewels from graveyards, when I get home bury them again Wonder if you'll ever get the chance to ask me why I turned you in I saved my own skin but I live to fight, I live to fight another day Still remember how brave you were when they came to take you away And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed Prowl through empty fields, great Cain Thought I'd seen the ghost up on the boulevard, between the broken bits It's hard to tell gifts of the spirit from clever counterfeits. Sleepwalk through my days and mark the hours until these dark times fade Like a caterpillar crawling out along the surface of the blade And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed Prowl through empty fields, great Cain Rummage through the gutted storehouse now And lick the sweat from my brow Saw the trucks roll out this morning, not sure when they're coming back again Feel the prickings of my conscience in my chest every now and then Sometimes a great wave of forgetfulness rises up and blesses me And other times the sickness howls and I despair of any remedy And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed Prowl through empty fields, great Cain Comments by John Darnielle About this Song *"This is a song about betrayal. A lot of songs about betrayal are about betrayal and redemption. Not this one." -- 2011-04-08 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC *"This song is about a guy who gets out of prison. from the crowd I'm with you: free all the prisoners. But especially this guy." -- 2012-01-31 - Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, NC *"A few of Eternals Deck's titles have a direct, object relation...but 'Prowl Great Cain', you sort of have to figure it out. And I had that phrase for a long time and there were a couple of songs that tried to be 'Prowl Great Cain' and I was like 'What's it really about? What is the Cain figure who I want who has betrayed his brother?' And then I got it, you know, and then I put it in Cambodia in '79." -- 2011-05-11 - WXPN Session - World Cafe - Philadelphia, PA Things Referenced in this Song *The major reference in this song is to Cain; he and his brother Abel's story is found in the Bible in the Book of Genesis. God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice, but not Cain's sacrifice, so Cain killed his brother. God cursed Cain so he could grow no crops, leaving him to wander. God also marked him so that if anyone were to harm him, that person would be paid back sevenfold, ensuring that he would live the rest of his natural life in a cursed exile. *"The prickings of my conscience" may be a reference to the 14th-century English poem "The Prick of Conscience". Live Shows this Song Was Played at *2011-03-24 - The National - Richmond, VA *2011-03-25 - 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C. *2011-03-26 - Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center - York, PA *2011-03-28 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY *2011-03-30 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY *2011-04-01 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA *2011-04-02 - Castaways - Ithaca, NY *2011-04-03 - The Opera House - Toronto, Ontario *2011-04-04 - SPIN Session - New York, NY *2011-04-06 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN *2011-04-08 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC *2011-04-10 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC *2011-04-12 - Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA *2011-04-14 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD *2011-05-11 - WXPN Session - World Cafe - Philadelphia, PA *2011-05-22 - Whelan's - Dublin, Ireland *2011-05-24 - Coalition - Brighton, England *2011-05-25 - Koko - London, England *2011-05-27 - Manchester Academy 3 - Manchester, England *2011-05-28 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, England *2011-05-29 - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - Glasgow, Scotland *2011-06-14 - The Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN *2011-06-16 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA *2011-06-18 - Aladdin Theater - Portland, OR *2011-06-21 - The Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa, CA *2011-06-23 - El Rey Theater - Los Angeles, CA *2011-06-24 - Soho Restaurant and Music Club - Santa Barbara, CA *2011-07-27 - Artpark - Lewiston, NY *2011-07-28 - Meadowbrook Pavilion - Gilford, NH *2011-07-29 - The Shelburne Museum - Shelburne, VT *2011-07-31 - Papermill Island - Baldwinsville, NY *2012-01-19 - Antone's - Austin, TX *2012-01-24 - The Social - Orlando, FL *2012-01-28 - The EARL - Atlanta, GA *2012-01-31 - Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, NC *2012-02-03 - The Blind Tiger - Greensboro, NC *2012-05-04 - The Zoo - Brisbane, Australia *2012-05-08 - The Clarendon - Katoomba, Australia *2012-05-10 - The Corner Hotel - Melbourne, Australia Videos of this Song *2011-03-24 - The National - Richmond, VA *2011-03-25 - 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C. *2011-04-02 - Castaways - Ithaca, NY *2011-04-04 - SPIN Session - New York, NY *2011-04-06 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN *2011-06-23 - El Rey Theater - Los Angeles, CA Category:All Eternals Deck songs Category:Video